Flood Emergency in Pensacola Area

LATE REPORT
As of 2:33, numerous roads and businesses are flooded in the Pensacola area including downtown Pensacola around Palafox. Pensacola Regional Airport has received 11.12 inches of rain since midnight.

ORIGINAL POST
Flooding is serious in the Pensacola and Mobile areas.

Water was reportedly entering the first flood of Baptist Hospital in Pensacola at 1:15 and numerous area roads were flooded.

The NWS Mobile just issued a flood emergency for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Including Pensacola. They say water is entering homes in Gulf Breeze right now.

Here is the text of the warning:

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
207 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
SOUTHEASTERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA…
SOUTHERN SANTA ROSA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA…

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 156 PM CDT…EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED LIFE
THREATENING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED AREA. RADAR ESTIMATES
THAT RAINFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 14 INCHES HAVE FALLEN ACROSS THE
EXTREME SOUTHERN ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES…WITH THE
HIGHEST TOTALS OVER SOUTHEASTERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY
RAIN WILL MOVE IN FROM THE GULF AND MEXICO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS AND PRODUCE HOURLY RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES AT
TIMES. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FLASH
FLOODING IN THE WARNED AREA.

THIS IS A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY FOR THE ENTIRE WARNED AREA!

* LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRST RESPONDERS ARE CONDUCTING WATER
RESCUES IN THE WARRINGTON…MYRTLE GROVE AND PERDIDO PARK AREAS.
IN ADDITION…WATER IS MOVING INTO HOMES IN GULF BREEZE AT
CIRCLE DRIVE AND RAMBLEWOOD DRIVE. THIS IS AN EXTREME EVENT…NOT
A TYPICAL FLASH FLOOD.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
PENSACOLA… TIGER POINT… PEA RIDGE…
GULF BREEZE… MIDWAY… GARCON POINT…
FLORIDATOWN… EAST MILTON… DICKERSON CITY…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING FLOODING SITUATION. YOU
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL. STAY HOME UNLESS YOU ARE FORCED TO
EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. SEEK
HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT DRIVE OR WALK INTO AREAS WHERE
WATER CROSSES A ROAD. TURN AROUND – DON’T DROWN!

&&

As Lance noted in the comments, a Red Cross shelter is being opened in Pensacola.

And more bad news as of 2:15…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 215 PM CDT…EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLASH
FLOODING OVER THE WARNED AREA AND RADAR ESTIMATES SHOWING
WIDESPREAD TOTAL RAINFALL 4 TO 8 INCHES HAD FALLEN ACROSS THE
MOBILE METRO AREA WITH LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 18
INCHES CENTERED JUST NORTH OF I-10 BETWEEN DAWES AND ST ELMO.

* LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRST RESPONDERS ARE CONDUCTING NUMEROUS
WATER RESCUES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA…ESPECIALLY
DOWNSTREAM OF A FAILED DAM OF A 14 ACRE PRIVATE LAKE NEAR DAWES
LAKE ROAD AND NUGGET DRIVE…STRANDING PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
EASTERN DAUPHIN ISLAND…
CENTRAL DAUPHIN ISLAND… DOWNTOWN MOBILE…
MIDTOWN MOBILE… WEST MOBILE… CODEN…
TILLMANS CORNER… THEODORE… TANNER WILLIAMS…

Discussion from the NWS Mobile:

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION…MESOSCALE UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
150 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 2012

…DANGEROUS FLASH AND AREAL FLOODING WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE…

.NEAR TERM FLOODING UPDATE…AN UPPER LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE
NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTHWARD OVER
LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT. DEEP GULF MOISTURE WITH
PRECIPITABLE WATER NEAR 2.30 INCHES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE
FORECAST AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. VERY HEAVY RAIN HAD FALLEN ALONG A
SLOW NORTHWARD MOVING WARM FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE MOBILE METRO
AREA TO JUST EAST OF PENSACOLA…WHERE WIDESPREAD 4 TO 8 INCHES HAD
FALLEN WITH LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 15 INCHES ESTIMATED
IN THE PENSACOLA AREA AND UP TO 18 INCHES IN THE MOBILE AREA.

REGION RADAR MOSAIC IS DETECTING A VERY LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO
VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO THAT WILL CONTINUE
TO MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE FLOODED AREAS THROUGH THIS EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT.

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